Movement is Life

Caught by the River is thrilled to announce the first of a series of events celebrating our 20th year. ‘Movement is Life’, a night of readings and art beyond borders, will see us return to Centrespace Gallery, Bristol BS1 — studio space of letterpress artist and longtime friend Nick Hand — in January 2027.

We are very pleased to be working with multidisciplinary artists Rosa Amora and Riley Summer, who have put together a zine which explores migration, belonging, and the ways in which movement shapes our communities, culture and natural world. On the 22nd January, join us to celebrate their project, ‘ROOTED’, with readings from authors whose work celebrates movement and exchange across human and non-human boundaries.

The event will feature:

• A performance from author Michael Malay and musician Kayla Painter on ‘Contradictions’: How can a country which loves its swifts and swallows have learnt to oppose the natural flow and flux of life so staunchly?

• Rosa and Riley will be speaking about their interviews, conversations and creative workshops with migrants, and explaining the importance of analogue methods and human connection in their art

• An interactive tapestry put together by Rosa and Riley. Both participants and attendees will be invited to trace the migration journeys of their families and friends, of creatures and plants, or of their own

• Author Jason Allen-Paisant will be interviewed by Caught by the River’s Tallulah Brennan on the movement of plants and people in his book ‘The Possibility of Tenderness’, and will also discuss the botanical collection, ‘The Elegancies of Jamaica’ which is currently in the process of repatriation at the Bristol Museum

• Writer Sabrin Hasbun will read her piece ‘All the Ways Through’, on the borders and foodways of Palestine.

There will be refreshments, books for sale, merchandise to support fundraising for Medical Aid for Palestinians, and Caught by the River DJs. Doors open at 6pm, and the event will run from 18:30 until 22:00.

Tickets are £18 (with a 20% discount for Lunker-tier Steady subscribers).